Manga: Mamotte Lollipop and the Love Triangle

    Another one of my beloved magical-world manga series is “Mamotte Lollipop” by Michiyo Kikuta.  In this story, Nina is an ordinary middle-school girl until she accidentally swallows a magical pearl, thinking it was candy.  Then two boy wizards – Zero and Ichii – appear out of nowhere and inform her that the pearl is actually part of a sorcery examination!  Since more magic-wielders will be coming after her to get the pearl, the two boys vow to protect her until the contest is over.  Being guarded by two cute wizards isn’t so bad… Until Nina finds herself having to choose between them ;-).
     This manga features one of my favorite romantic twists – the love triangle (squee!).  Falling in love can be a difficult enough challenge when it’s only two people – add in a third and things can get very complicated very fast.  And there are different versions of the love triangle: mainly, two people competing for the affections of the third/ one person deciding between two others, or one person who is in love with the second who is then in love with the third (a sort of “nobody wins” situation); but even these vary from story to story depending on the gender of each player.  Personally, my favorite is the two males vying for the love of the female :-P.
     Of course, this explains why “The Heart of Everything” is structured the way it is!  The obvious love triangle features Emer as she finds herself faced with the difficult choice of deciding between two very handsome supernatural suitors.  But as the story evolves, we learn of the past love triangle between Jesse, Alex and the priestess.  There is also a sort of “undercurrent” love triangle connecting Jesse, Emer and the priestess as Jesse comes to terms with the differences between the woman he loves now and the one he loved in the past.  So three for the price of one! :-D
     The similarities between my novel and this series go even further.  The two boys, Zero and Ichii, are not unlike Emer’s own love interests:  Ichii is portrayed as older and more mature, like the calm and rational Alex, whereas Zero is much more like Jesse, with a rude attitude, a black-and-white sense of justice, a flair for destruction, and very little patience.  (There’s something to be said for having polar-opposite personalities in romantic competitors :-P.)  Plus, the promise of protection and the use of magic is a common theme between the two; each one is an element I find very appealing in story-telling :-D.  Of course, my characters are much older, and the magical aspect is reversed – used by the protectors in “Mamotte Lollipop” and by the protectee in mine.  But still – there’s enough in common that if you enjoy one, you’ll enjoy the other ;-).
     What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!
     Until the next time, keep reading!
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